A Chicago Bears Halloween Tale: 10 Scary Good Bears Performances This Century

The Chicago Bears have had a great 10-year run, making the playoffs four times, along with a Super Bowl appearance in 2006. In the 21st century, there have been some great individual performances on the Chicago Bears, some so great, they were downright frightening.

Whether it was against those ghouls from Green Bay or the devilish Detroit Lions, some Bears have put up some monster performances, some of which still haunt teams to this day.

Hopefully, you won't have to sleep with the lights on after reading this grizzly tale of Bears dominance.

Rex Grossman (Sept. 17, 2006)

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It was only five years ago that Rex Grossman was still counted on to be the Bears' answer at quarterback for years to come. With his first couple of seasons riddled with injuries, Grossman showed enough flashes of greatness during his limited appearances to give Bears fans hope that he was the one.

In 2006, during a Week 2 contest against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field, Grossman enjoyed what was possibly his last week of unwavering support from Bears fans. After Chicago's 34-7 win over Detroit, the rest of Grossman's time in Chicago was a constant battle between Grossman, the media, the boos and whomever was the No. 2 quarterback.

This game should have been buried in Grossman's time capsule so that he could show his grandchildren his considerable talents at the time. He threw for four touchdowns and 289 yards, and had one rushing attempt good for 41 yards. Things were looking up for Grossman. No good Rex, bad Rex. No "Rex is our quarterback." It was just a guy lighting up the scoreboard for a soon-to-be NFC championship team.

Charles Tillman (Dec. 14, 2003)

One of the best wide receivers in NFL history, Randy Moss, was about to score the winning touchdown for the Minnesota Vikings. What Moss didn't realize was that he was about to get dominated by a rookie cornerback.

In 2003, Charles Tillman made a game saving interception for the Bears at the end of their game with the Minnesota Vikings, securing his place in Bears history. Not only did Tillman deprive Moss of his second touchdown of the game, but he also held the lead for the Bears, as they went on to a 13-10 Week 15 victory.

Tillman would go on to be an important part of the Bears formidable mid-2000's defense.

Marty Booker (Nov. 18, 2001)

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On their way to a 13-3 record and a first week playoff bye, the Chicago Bears won ugly in 2001. A solid running game, led by rookie Anthony Thomas, along with a stout defense, secured the Bears a divisional playoff game at Soldier Field against Philadelphia.

In a Week 10 battle in Tampa Bay, the Bears beat the Bucs not on the ground, but through the air. Jim Miller hit Marty Booker for three touchdown strikes. Booker slashed through the Tampa Bay secondary repeatedly, undoubtedly causing shrieks from Bears fans watching at home.

Miller and Booker connected on scores from 28, 44 and 66 yards. The Buccaneers gave the Bears a scare in the end with 15 fourth quarter points, but Chicago held on for the victory.

Matt Forte (Oct. 2, 2011)

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In Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers, the Chicago Bears appeared to enter the twilight zone. During the Bears victory, they yielded a shocking 543 yards to the struggling Panthers, who were led by a rookie quarterback, Cam Newton.

The game was also somewhat of a psychological thriller after Chicago and their embattled offensive coordinator Mike Martz decided to implement a running game for the first time in 2011.

Matt Forte benefited from the improved game plan and had a career day, scampering for 205 yards, along with a touchdown. Forte added to his impressive totals in 2011 while still waiting for a new contract from the Bears.

Jay Cutler (Sept. 19, 2010)

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One year after the Bears made waves by trading for Jay Cutler, Chicago was still waiting for the rocket arm of their new quarterback to win games, not give them away.

Week 2 saw the Bears tasked with a tough road matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Playing underneath the biggest television set in Texas, Jay Cutler cut through the Cowboys secondary like a chainsaw, leading the Bears to a 27-20 victory.

Cutler threw for 277 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Cutler has obvious talent, but has still not lived up to that performance, with only brief flashes of brilliance as quarterback of the Bears.

Brian Urlacher (Oct. 16, 2006)

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On a Monday night matchup with the Arizona Cardinals in 2006, the Bears saw their Super Bowl dreams take a big hit with their miserable first half performance. Spotting Arizona's rookie quarterback Matt Leinart and the Cardinals to a 20-0 lead at the break, Chicago called on a familiar number to help them come from behind and take the win in front of a national audience.